1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, such as a scanner or an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral), provided with a function of sending a scanned image to an information processing apparatus, such as a PC, an information processing system, and a method of controlling the image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image processing apparatus, such as a scanner or an MFP, sometimes employs a pseudo-push scanning method when transmitting an image scanned by a scanning section.
The pseudo-push scanning method is a method in which an MFP, for example, sends a request for execution of pull scanning by the MFP itself to a host PC or the like information processing apparatus having a pull-scan driver, and the host PC or the like causes the MFP to carry out scanning.
An image scanned by the MFP is sent e.g. to the host PC, and the host PC or the like stores the received image in its own memory or the like based on image storage destination information set in advance. This procedure enables the image scanned by the MFP to be sent to the desired host PC or the like and stored therein according to an instruction from the MFP, whereby push scanning by the MFP is realized in a pseudo fashion.
The pseudo-push scanning method is more advantageous than a method in which an MFP carries out push scanning in a standalone fashion (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-198819), in that it is not required to support a plurality of communication protocols on an MFP side, which contributes to cost reduction. Further, a complicated network configuration can be dispensed with, and therefore usability is improved.
Conventionally, in a case where pseudo-push scanning is executed by an MFP, a user selects a desired host PC name from ones displayed on a display screen of the MFP.
However, in a case where the MFP carries out scanning in the pseudo-push scanning method using a scan setting set in the host PC, even if the host PC has a plurality of settings for the scan function, only a single one of them is used as one associated with the host PC. For this reason, to enable the MFP to execute scanning according to different conditions (resolution, a storage destination folder, etc.) of a host PC, the host PC-side scan setting associated with execution of the scanning by the MFP is required to be changed depending on the different conditions.
To solve this problem, i.e. to enable the MFP to use a plurality of scan settings stored in the host PC, there has been proposed a technique using a scan server (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-217980).
However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-217980 requires provision of a server and a user operation for registering a plurality of scan settings stored in a host PC, as job templates in the server in advance, which makes the processing complicated.